Rain & Play Group

We've really gotten a lot of rain this week.  It started raining last Thursday afternoon and I think it rained every day until this Wednesday.  I think I heard that we got something like 12 inches during that time...maybe more in some places.

I'm so glad we celebrated Easter in Texas, where although it was hot, we got to hunt eggs outside!  It started raining (pouring) on us on our way home at about Ft. Smith.  If you look to the very far right of this photo you can sort of see the waterfall of rain that was gushing off the side of a mountain/cliff.  This was just one of many.

This was our radar Sunday night:

This was a message my phone sent me on Monday:

 A picture I stole from the news website:

 On my way home from work on Tuesday night:

We were all getting quite sick of the rain, but now the sun is shining and it's beautiful outside.  It has made my flowers so happy!

Today we had play group and I had to snap a few pictures of Adeline beforehand in her cute little outfit her Tiny made her.

I think it's just adorable!

Adeline tried to feed Westin his lunch, then she ate about half of it herself.

Ava & Adeline - the only girls today

Shannon had these cute little crafts for us to make today.  I'm so happy with how Adeline's turned out!

I hope tomorrow is as pretty as today, because yucky, cold, rainy weather is in our forecast for Sunday.  I'm not complaining too much though, because that means a good nap Sunday afternoon.  :)

The Dislocated Arm - Every Mom Should Read This

Last Monday evening we had a bit of a crisis at our house.  I went to the grocery store, and came home to find Jon and Adeline playing in the front yard.  We started taking groceries in and Adeline wouldn't follow us in to the house.  Jon switched all his groceries onto one arm & grabbed her hand with his free hand.  She then proceeded to try to throw herself onto the ground to have a fit.  Jon didn't want her busting her head, so he tried to stand her back up on her feet by pulling her arm from the hand he was holding.  Big mistake, but haven't we all done that?  I was already inside & Jon comes rushing in with a screaming Adeline telling me he pulled her shoulder out of socket.  I say, "I doubt that.  Here, Adeline, can you get Ace?" as I hold Ace alluringly above her head.  She tries to lift her arm and cries even more hysterically.  I then freak out and say, "Oh my gosh, you really did pull her arm out!"  He quickly administers ibuprofen while I'm on the phone calling all 2 doctors I have in my phone....neither answer.  Jon says, "What about that trick my mom told you about?"  I yell over Adeline's crying, "That won't work.  It's only for elbows.  We have to get to the hospital!"  I assume that he's gathering things to go to the hospital while I'm quickly throwing all the cold stuff in the fridge or freezer (I'm not about to let $100 worth of groceries spoil.  I know, world's worst mom.)  Then from behind me he says, "Here, talk to mom."  So I take the phone from him and she tells me she thinks the trick is for a shoulder, so I decide to try it anyway.  

I do the trick & then hear & feel a pop and Adeline almost immediately stops crying.  This is the first time I've touched her since the incident.  I never felt her shoulder to see if it was really dislocated because I was panicking and calling doctors and putting groceries away.  We decide to go ahead and go to the hospital anyway.  We get to the hospital & the ER is packed.  I ask the guy at the window a question and he ignores me.  At this time Adeline is laughing & talking and it's dinner time and we're all hungry.  We decide to leave and go out to eat instead (I know...cast judgment).

I figure she's fine and I'll just take her to the pediatrician in the morning.  The next day I have to go in to work and I start calling the doctor's office as soon as possible.  When I finally get through to the receptionist and tell her why I'm making an appointment she freaks out on me.  "Wait, what happened?  How did that happen?  You put it back in place yourself?  Let me talk to a nurse."  Then she comes back on and says, "Go ahead & bring her in, but we'll probably have to refer you to an orthopedist."  Are you kidding me?  She's fine.  Hasn't complained once since I did the trick.  So now I'm all freaking out thinking DHS or cops are going to be waiting on me when I get to the pediatrician.  I was wrong.  The receptionist apologized for freaking out.  The doctor tells me she thinks it was her elbow that was dislocated and that it's very common in children under the age of 3.  She says she sees at least one a week!  That makes me feel much better.  She said I did the right thing and that sometimes if it's left untreated for too long, the joint can get so swollen that they can't relocate it until they've treated the swelling first.  She called it nursemaid's elbow.

I feel like since I'm an OT I should have at least heard of this before, but I haven't.  I also feel like I should have been able to fix it immediately rather than panic & exhaust my speed-dialed doctors in my phone, but I didn't.  However, now I know and I wanted all of you to know as well.  It's super easy to fix and don't beat yourself or your husband up if it happens to your child.  :)

So here's how you do THE TRICK:

1) First, extend their arm all the way out with palm supinated (turned up toward ceiling).

 2) Then, continue holding at the elbow & hand and bend their arm up toward their shoulder.

That's it.  Now you know how to fix a nursemaid's elbow.  Easy Peasy!

I'm kind of glad it happened because while I was at the doctor last Tuesday she found that Adeline's ear infection had not healed itself and we started another antibiotic.  Now everyone in my house is well and all our joints are in their proper places.  Praise Jesus!

Easter Weekend

What is Easter?

The little bunny hops, hops, hops.  Is this what Easter means?  

Is it about the Easter eggs all filled with jellybeans?

Is Easter about hunting eggs?  I do that every year.  

Does it mean chocolate stuff?  I ate my bunny's ear.

Is it about the baby chicks?  They're fuzzy, and they're fun!  I saw some Easter chicks for sale.  I really wanted one.

Is it about the Easter toys?  They're really fun, I think.  One time a bunny came to me, his little nose was pink.

Is it about my brand-new dress?  And my new Easter hat?  Does it mean wearing shiny shoes?  I really do love that!

Is it about the big parade with lots of pretty floats?  Is it about the Easter choir?  They sing the highest notes!

NO!  That's not what Easter means.  Easter means much more than that.  It's all about God's son.  See, God sent Jesus down to earth to die for everyone.  He had to die upon a tree to save us from our sin.  But he was only dead three days, and then He rose again.  Now, that's what Easter really means!  It's quite a special day.  Jesus our Savior rose again.  Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

Today, He sits right next to God in Heaven up above.  He wants to live inside you too and fill you up with love!  Okay, now I get it.  The Easter Bunny is okay, and Easter eggs are fun.  But Easter's not about that stuff....

It's all about God's son.

Written by Michelle Medlock Adams

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Jon celebrated his 29th birthday on Thursday.  I worked all day, but with Jarrod's help, we were able to surprise him with hot wings & pecan pie.  I bought him a "nifty fifty" camera lens.  It is a fixed lens that takes pictures in natural light...yet very affordable.  We kept Adeline up a little later than usual Thursday since we were celebrating and Jon wanted to try out the lens.  She threw a fit....

We packed some, then went to bed.  We continued our birthday celebration the next morning since Jon didn't have work.  We all slept in, had yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then had a leisurely start to get on the road to our hometown.  

Saturday night we celebrated Shane's, Emil's, & Jon's birthdays at Jon's parents'.  Shane's birthday is April 20 & Jon & Emil's are both on the 21st.  We had tacos & apple pie.

 And we opened some presents....

We hope you enjoyed your birthday, Jon/Daddy.  You are the best husband & daddy two girls could ask for.  We love you so very much and are looking forward to celebrating many many more birthdays with you!

Lindsey's Wedding Weekend

So the big Parker/Madden Wedding Weekend Extravaganza began on Friday.  In honor of my big Texas weekend, Adeline & I started our day with a big Texas-sized/shaped waffle.

Then the bridal luncheon kicked off all the wedding festivities.  It was hosted by a dear friend of the Maddens. She really knows how to throw a good southern luncheon.  Everything was decorated to a T.  We dined outside on beautiful china with delicious chicken crepes, fresh fruit, & spice cake.  She did something with the cake I'd never seen before.  She had all these little ribbons hanging out of it, then before we cut it, all the bridesmaids got to pull a ribbon out.  At the end of each ribbon was a pretty little silver charm which held a meaning.  Mine was an anchor and it meant I would have a life of stability.  How neat!

The cake & beautiful centerpiece

The beautiful bride with all her bridesmaids

I got to the hotel in time to rescue my mom from a crying Adeline who did not want to take a nap.  I laid on the couch with her while she slept for about 45 minutes.  Then we headed to a local park so she could burn some energy, but all she really wanted to do was swing.  :)

On the way back to the hotel we spotted a Rosa's and I could not resist.  Rosa's is a little Texas treasure that I miss dearly.  It is a fast-food Mexican place that makes its own tortillas...delicious!

That night was the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner.  I was bad about taking pictures, but I did get a couple dark ones of the really cool rehearsal dinner site.  It was at a green house!  The front was like a normal nursery with tables filled with plants for shoppers, but the back was converted into a beautiful  little cafe with koi ponds & dramatic plant life.  I loved it!

I got to the hotel around midnight and shortly after Adeline began coughing uncontrollably.  I tried suctioning & salining her nose, but to no avail.  I ended up lying on the couch with her to keep her elevated until her Benadryl kicked in & she stopped coughing.  I got to sleep about 2:30.  Needless to say, I was exhausted on Saturday which was not good since that was THE BIG DAY!

I pulled it together with a Whataburger chicken strip dinner (yet another Texas treat) & a diet coke on my way to the hair appointment.  Mom and Adeline dined & played at Chick-Fil-A.

Adeline napped much better on Saturday which was a blessing since she was going to be up past bedtime that night.

Pictures started at 3:45, then finally, the big event we'd all been waiting for began!  The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful.  Not only in the scenery, but the content as well.  A girl with a magnificent voice sang two songs, and two men who'd been part of the bride & groom's lives since childhood gave marriage advice.  I'd never seen this done at a wedding and I LOVED it.  I'm going to remember this & suggest it for Adeline's wedding.  They did a remarkable job and I hope everyone there was listening attentively because what they said was perfect.

Then, and only then, it was time to PARTY!!  Adeline could hardly wait for the band to start playing.  I had to hold her back during the first dance and the father/daughter dance, then the dance floor was hers.

She even got to dance with the bride & her twin sister, Natalie (both my college roommates).

With my girl

The bride & groom very excited to finally be married!

Then it was time for Adeline and Nana to head to bed, but Mommy got to stay until the very end.  The cake was absolutely gorgeous AND delicious!

The tent was beautiful...

...but the company was the best part!

I had a fantastic, unforgettable time.  I'm so happy for my bestie Lindsey & her sweet husband Christian. I hope & pray they enjoy a long, happy, blessed life together.